Improvement in reed-organs



A. F. SEVERANCE. Reed-Organ.

No. 196,312. Patented Oct. 23,1877.

N.PETER5 PHOTO-LITNOGRAPHER. WASNZ'NGTQN, a c

UNITED 'Sr 'rns PATENT QFFICE AsA r. sEvnRANoE, or NORTHBOROUGH, MAINE.

IMPROVEMENT IN R E E D ORG AN s.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 196,312, dated October 23, 1877; application filed August 2, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AsA F. SEVERANCE, of Northborough, in the county of Lincoln and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reed Organs; and do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawing, which exhibits a longitudinal section of my invention as applied to the key and two reeds of a reed-valve of an organ.

My said invention consists, first, in the combination of a lever and a supporting screw therefor with the key and the valve thereof, such being for opening the valve and for adjusting the key to a level with that or those next to it second, in the combination of the fellow reed-chamber, arranged at, or about at, right angles with the valve-seat, and provided with conduits, as specified, with a mute or stopvalve applied to the upper end of one of such chambers, and to a stop arranged as set forth,

and with a single swell-chamber to extend over and upon suchreed-chamber and its stop-valves, as specified; third, in combination with the key and the reed-valve, a lever arranged beneath the key and applied thereto and to the said valve, substantially as set forth.

In the drawings, A A denote the two reed chambers of a single valve-seat. Such chambers, instead of being parallel to the valveseat B, I dispose at, or about at, right angles therewith, and provided with conduits O 0, leading from and between them to the opening a of such valve-seat. Each of such reedchambers, open at top, has its reed-plate D inserted vertically in it, and, besides, it has applied to its mouth a stop-valve 0r mute, E. This valve is hinged to a rail or projection, F, and provided with a bent arm, I), to engage with a cam, 0, formed and extended from the stop G, in manner as shown.

On retracting the stop, the valve will be raised or opened; but on pushing in the stop, such valve will be closed by a spring, H, arranged as represented.

The reed-chambers open at their upper ends, and have extended over them a single swellchamber, I, provided with a cover or swell- 'alve, K. I

From this it will be seen that instead of having separate small chambers and valves to the two separate reed-chambers or ranges thereof I have a single swell-chamber and valve tc them, thereby attaining an important improve ment and reducing the expense of constructiol of an instrument.

Beneath the key L is a lever, M, from which a projection, N, extends up to the key. This lever, near its front end, has a screw, 0, going up through it and screwed into the instrumeni or key-frame I, the lever resting and pivoting upon the head of the screw, in manner as rep resented. A push-pin, R, leading from the le ver down to the main valve S of the reed chambers, serves to enable the lever M to open or depress the valve while the key is being pl yed on, as the key, on being depressed by a performer, will move the lever. The spring T, for closing the valve, suffices to effect such closing, as well as the return of the lever and key to their normal positions.

By means of the lever and the supporting screw thereof, the key may be adjusted vertically with reference to those aside of it-that is, the key may be leveled with respect to themfor by screwing up the screw the key will be raised, and by unscrewing the screw such key will be depressed.

My improved arrangement of the reed-chambers, the valve-seat, the swell-chamber, and the conduits leading from the reedchambers to the valveseat is productive not only of excellent effects, so far as improvement in the tone of the organ is concerned, but it enables an organ to be constructed at much less expense than heretofore, comparatively or generally speaking.

There is of necessity in my arrangement a conduit leading down from each reed-chamber to the valve-seat opening. By such arrangement I can increase the niunber of reed-cham bers to each valve to great advantage, as three or more may be used with less machinery for operating their mutes than is generally employed.

I claim as of my invention as follows:

1. In combination with the key and the valve thereof and the lever applied to them, as described, the supporting-screw extended through such lever and screwed into the frame beneath the key, all being substantially as and for the purpose or purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the fellow reed-chambers, arranged at, or about at, right angles with the valve-seat and provided with conduits, as specified, with a stop-valve or mute applied to the mouth of one of the said chambers, and to a stop arranged as set forth, and

with a single swell-chamber extending over I and spanning such reed-chambers and'stopvalves, as specified. 

